Oregon’s local leaders say affordability, infrastructure are among their top concerns

From Klamath Falls to Wallowa County, Oregons 377 cities and 36 counties are dealing with a host of challenges.
To better comprehend regional leaders concerns and how finest to deal with them on energy-related topics, Energy Trust just recently sponsored a research report from Pivot Advising that asked about their top issues, barriers to resolving those problems and how Energy Trust can help.
Energy Trust currently deals with counties and cities to support local efforts. It trains local staff in Strategic Energy Management, advises on environment and resiliency strategies, makes connections with qualified professionals and supplies money incentives for energy effectiveness and sustainable energy in public projects.
The reports author spoke with 23 directors and managers from cities and counties throughout Oregon in the summer season of 2021. Participants consisted of those who have actually dealt with Energy Trust in the past and those who had little or no experience with Energy Trust.
Four areas became top concerns:
Lack of cost, especially in housing Every respondent included this as one of their leading concerns. Many said their regional housing market has tightened significantly over the last few years; they also reported increasing transportation and energy costs and the lack of living wage tasks in their location.
The need to enhance facilities About 70% of respondents said they face concerns related to inadequate and out of-date facilities for water, wastewater, web and transportation connectivity.
Building the labor force and economy About half reported difficulties in stabilizing their funds with the services they can provide to their communities.
Climate modification and resiliency Respondents who chose environment change as a top concern explained it as multifaceted, tough and unsettling. Others mentioned resiliency– the capability of a community to stand up to, adapt and recover after interruptions such as wildfires or blackouts– as a leading concern.
When it comes to methods Energy Trust can support their communities, participants were most thinking about incentives, connections to other financing sources, aid assessing renewable resource chances and assist with energy preparation.
The report keeps in mind that using energy effectiveness and eco-friendly energy in current and new homes and public facilities can assist control expenses while making neighborhoods more resilient to environment modification.
The reports conclusions will help Energy Trust further develop tools to engage city government leaders and work together to promote carbon decrease, energy resiliency and ecological justice.